Many machines and equipment operate in waste environments such as landfills, waste transfer stations, or recycling stations. In such waste environments, the local atmosphere may include airborne, gas phase siloxanes released from industrial or commercial products, such as electronic products and personal care products. When present in significant amounts, such airborne siloxanes may be inadvertently drawn into the machine's air intake system for combustion along with ambient intake air. Upon combustion, the siloxanes may produce silicon dioxide (SiO2) which may coat engine parts (e.g., valves, turbocharger components, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) components, etc.), enter the oil, and form deposits on components of the exhaust aftertreatment system such as the diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and the diesel particulate filter (DPF).
The coating of SiO2 on engine parts may accelerate wear of the coated parts and reduce engine performance, and may interfere with the ability to overhaul/rebuild the engine. Moreover, exposure of EGR components to SiO2 may lead to reduced heat transfer at the EGR cooler, as well as plugging of the EGR venturi and the EGR intake pressure sensor with SiO2 deposits. Furthermore, prolonged exposure to SiO2 in the exhaust aftertreatment system may lead to an increase in the rate of non-combustible accumulation in the DPF, face-plugging of the DOC and DPF with SiO2 deposits, and increased back pressure. Sensors of the exhaust aftertreatment system (e.g., thermocouples, NOx sensors, etc.) may also become coated or plugged with SiO2 deposits, leading to inaccurate readings or delayed response times. Consequently, high concentrations of siloxanes (e.g., >0.1 mg/m3) in ambient air may undesirably increase machine downtime to replace parts as well as maintenance costs.
To reduce exposure of engine parts and aftertreatment components to SiO2, some stationary machines may pretreat fuel going to the engine to remove siloxanes before combustion. However, such strategies may be impractical for application to mobile machines due to factors such as cost, restriction, service interval requirements, durability requirements, and packaging constraints.
In addition, U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2016/0258392 discloses a siloxane filtration system to filter out siloxanes from intake air going to a diesel engine of a work vehicle. While effective, strategies providing effective gas phase separation of siloxanes from intake air are still desired. Clearly, there is a need for improved strategies for removing siloxanes from intake air for machines operating in waste environments.